Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye
kickerdad avatar reviewed on + 115 more book reviews


A must read American classic? Hmmmm. I decided to read "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger out of curiosity. I'm not sure if it was required reading when I was in school that I either skipped or have forgotten. Doubtful. Some small parts of the language would have eliminated it from any required reading list of the era (although my daughter just had to read it for her lit class).

I began the book without any prior knowledge, absolutely zero. It is a very easy read. I found the story's contents mostly meaningless; it is how the book is written that is intriguing. I found myself simultaneously frustrated and enthralled, wondering why anyone would recommend this book and how it could was worthy of being considered 'a classic' - until the end. Salinger wraps up his story in dramatic yet anti-climatic fashion that shifted my opinion from a 1.5 to 3.5 star rating.